Murfreesboro, TN Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)

An accessory apartment in Murfreesboro may be rented for long-term (30 days or longer) residential use subject to the Zoning Ordinance definition requiring the unit be 'accessory to the main dwelling.' Short-term rental (under 30 days) use is regulated under the Tennessee Short-Term Rental Unit Act of 2018, codified at Tennessee Code Annotated §§ 13-7-601 through 13-7-606. TCA § 13-7-602 provides definitions; TCA § 13-7-603 limits but does not eliminate local regulatory authority — cities may regulate STRs 'by the least restrictive means' for the public health and safety, and Tennessee courts have read this broadly enough to permit permitting requirements, zoning limits, occupancy caps, noise rules, and inspections. Murfreesboro has adopted STR regulations requiring registration and limiting non-owner-occupied STRs in low-density residential districts. Properties operating as STRs prior to the local ordinance's enactment are grandfathered under TCA § 13-7-603(a). Tennessee state and Rutherford County hotel/motel occupancy taxes apply to short-term rental income, collected by the operator and remitted to the Tennessee Department of Revenue and Rutherford County. Long-term tenants are governed by the Tennessee Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA), TCA §§ 66-28-101 et seq. (applies to counties over 75,000 — Rutherford qualifies). Properties near Middle Tennessee State University often advertise to students; this is permitted long-term but cannot evade the accessory-apartment 'accessory to main dwelling' character. Renting both the main house and accessory apartment as separate rentals to non-owners is treated as an unpermitted duplex.